Underworld

Movies like Underworld just don't end up with the calibre of actor that Underworld has under normal circumstances. Somehow, Underworld did though, and yes, it's very much a product of that early '00s industrial inspired age, but it is a solid, solid take on some realistic(ish) aspects of supernatural monster mythos.

Final rating:★★★★ - Very strong appeal. A personal favourite.

Overall : Action, horror, monsters, guns, striking practical effects, spectacular creature designs, and a surprisingly proven and fantastic cast led by Kate Beckinsale all get mashed together to create one of the best creature features there is!

Underworld brings a new twist to the vampire and werewolf genre by pitting them against each other as they vie for control of the criminal underworld ruled by nightmarish creatures. It's hard to believe the budget for this film is relatively small because it doesn't feel limited in any way. The action and fight sequences are superb, with Kate Beckinsale proving herself an unstoppable action heroine for the first time with her prior career consisting of primarily romcoms. The creature design, special effects, sets, cinematography, and even the rest of the cast are all top-notch. Len Wiseman found a way to take a small budget and produce a big-budget genre-blending masterstroke that any action or horror fan is sure to love.

True, this isn't the most original of concepts and we have oft seen similar styles of treatment of these ancient rivalries, but Kate Beckinsale's lithe and deadly "Selene" and Michael Sheen's menacing "Lucian" are engaging enough in this tale of vampires v werewolves. Scott Speedman provides the eye candy (but very little else) as the hapless human "Michael" whom she rescues only to discover that he might prove a lot more important than either of them realise, and Bill Nighy is superbly over the top as the recently raised from his slumbers "Viktor" who really did fancy a (very) long lie in. Clad in leather and scurrying from place to place amidst the darkened environments the breadth of the city, the two must avoid capture and find a way to thwart ambitions that will re-enliven the timeless conflict between the two warring species. The combat scenes are heavily choreographed and do repeat themselves quite often and least said about Shane Brolly's weakly portrayed "Kraven" the better, but I did enjoy this.